Attorney General (AG) Chikosa SIlungwe says he has never dabbled in the idiocy of leaking professional work done for a client.
The AG said this today on Facebook following revelations by State House that it is investigating leakage of documents from the AG’s office.
There have been several incidences where legal opinions from the AG’s office to the Office of President and Cabinet and to Malawi Elect0oral Commission have ended up on social media.
However, Silungwe has insisted that the leakages do not emanate from his office.
“I have 24 years post qualification experience; with 23 of those years as a member of the Malawi Law Society of good standing.
“As an attorney, I have provided counsel to individuals, Malawian and international organizations respectively by providing them with bespoke advice.
“Indeed, in the past 24 months or so, I was one of lead counsels in what is perhaps the most important case in Malawi’s history – the 2019 Presidential Elections Case.
“In the 24 years as a lawyer, I have never leaked work I have done for my client. In the 9 months or so that I was lead counsel in the Presidential Elections Case, I and my colleagues in our team never leaked any work that I did for my client.
“I have never dabbled in the idiocy of leaking professional work. I will not suddenly start such buffoonery just because I now work from Capital Hill,” said Silungwe.
On 12 February, 2021, also condemned the leakage of confidential information saying leaking the opinions of the Attorney General is unprofessional; silly; immature; and nonsensical.
A recent leakage happened this month when a letter dated 13 April, 2021 addressed to Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Justice Chifundo Kachale circulated on social media.
In the letter, Silungwe told Kachale that Malawi had no Electoral Commission at that time and he advised commissioners to stop discharging their duties.
The advice followed the decision by the Lazarus Chakwera administration to fire commissioners Linda Kunje and Jean Mathanga on grounds that they were declared incompetent by the Supreme Court of Appeal.
The two commissioners are now working after they obtained an injunction against the Chakwera administration.
